Holiday engagement of 'Santaland Diaries' opens at Florida Rep

Contributed by Florida Repertory Theatre

3:47 PM, Dec 6, 2009

Written by bestselling humorist and NPR & New Yorker contributor, David Sedaris, "The Santaland Diaries" is a hilarious and honest portrait of the zany Christmas season that Sedaris spent working as an Elf in Macy's Santaland. Adapted for the stage by Tony winning actor & director, Joe Mantello, "The Santaland Diaries" takes audiences on an Elfin journey from the interview process to the last crazed shopping days before Christmas. Jason Parrish (above) plays Sedaris in the one-man show. Photo courtesy Florida Repertory Theatre

FORT MYERS - Florida Repertory Theatre is pleased to announce the opening of the thorny comedy, "The Santaland Diaries" as a Special Holiday Engagement running Dec. 10-31 in Florida Rep's NEW Studio Theatre.

From the mind of satirist David Sedaris, this one-man tour-de-force stars Jason Parrish as David, a desperate, out-of-work writer in New York City who takes a job as an Elf in Macy's Santaland.

"This play is very edgy, very adult, very funny and very poignant," said Producing Artistic Director, Robert Cacioppo, "and it's running concurrently with Dial 'M' for Murder, so it will give audiences the opportunity to see Florida Rep at two very different ends of the spectrum. The month of December will really showcase the variety that Florida Rep is known for."

Written by bestselling humorist and NPR & New Yorker contributor, David Sedaris, "The Santaland Diaries" is a hilarious and honest portrait of the zany Christmas season that Sedaris spent working as an Elf in Macy's Santaland. Adapted for the stage by Tony winning actor & director, Joe Mantello, "The Santaland Diaries" takes audiences on an Elfin journey from the interview process to the last crazed shopping days before Christmas.

The production stars Florida Rep Associate Director, Jason Parrish as David, the unemployed writer-turned-Elf who finds himself at "Christmas Ground Zero," suffering through the worst of the holiday season - complete with crying children, desperate parents and even jilted Santas. Seen most recently in "The Last Romance" and "Alone Together," Parrish is in his fifth season with the rep and will appear later this spring in "Relatively Speaking" and "The Big Bang."

Director Brian Maschka is making his directorial debut with "The Santaland Diaries," but is no stranger to Southwest Florida. Maschka's work with the Rep has previously been as a Production Stage Manager, and includes Boeing-Boeing, Shirley Valentine, Doubt, Rabbit Hole and last season's nationally acclaimed Dancing at Lughnasa.

This fast-paced comedy is stage managed by John Robert Warren, and features a costume design by Roberta Malcolm (Boeing-Boeing) & Janelle Turco (Dial 'M' for Murder), a lighting & sound design by Kate Smith (Boeing-Boeing) and debuts the NEW Florida Rep Studio Theatre.

Led by Producing Artistic Director, Robert Cacioppo, Maschka and the production team have pioneered the creation of the Rep's New Studio space that, for this play, will embody the Christmas spirit. "We want people to feel like they have walked into a little corner of Macy's, so the Studio will feel like Christmas in New York," Cacioppo said, "and that is the perfect environment for The Santaland Diaries. It will also be an interesting experiment for Florida Rep to venture into the world of running two performance spaces. But in any case," Cacioppo finished, "audiences are in for a treat."

The Santaland Diaries by David Sedaris & Joe Mantello plays in Florida Rep's NEW Studio Theatre December 10 through 31, and general admission is $38. Seating in the Studio Theatre is limited, and many performances are already sold out, so Florida Rep encourages patrons to call now, as tickets are going fast.

The Santaland Diaries contains adult content, and is not appropriate for children.

The run features a special 7pm Twilight Performance on Sun, Dec. 13. Performances on Fri, Dec. 18 are at 6pm and 9:30pm.

There will be no performances on Dec. 24 or 25.

Subscribe now and save up to 60% off, with packages available for as low as $129. Subscriptions and single tickets to the mainstage season are now on sale through the box office at 239-332-4488. Tickets are priced at $42 & $38, and $25 & $20 for discounted preview performances.

Florida Repertory Theatre performs in the Historic Arcade Theatre on Bay Street between Jackson & Hendry with convenient free parking in the Fort Myers River District, and the The Florida Rep Studio Theatre is just down the hall. Visit the Rep online at www.floridarep.org.